Ruth's Story
a bit about the artist/web master

I came to dialogue because of the values that I learned as a Jew, not despite them. Growing up Jewish to me was as much about ethics, about being active politically, fighting for social justice for all, as it was about any particular religious belief. I went to Israel on a summer Ulpan to learn Hebrew when I was fourteen. I was impressed by the commitment of the youth that I met there to build a nation, as opposed to the cynicism I experienced about the U.S. I was particularly inspired by the socialist idealism of the kibbutzim and wondered if I could live that way. It was just after the 1967 war and it was very exciting to visit the old city of Jerusalem, the western wall of the temple, and the West Bank. If I remember correctly there was uncertainty as to whether the land would be returned to Jordan, or become a Palestinian state, but the idea was to trade land for peace, not an indefinite occupation. At the time I also envisioned that the Palestinians would prosper under Israeli rule due to improved educational and economic opportunities.

I was very comfortable with public speaking and when I returned from Israel I was often asked to speak about out experiences on the trip as well as more general issues pertaining to Jewish youth. I remember one instance in particular when I was one of four youths on a local television show, being interviewed about the Jewish idea of mitzvah, which could be simply translated as good deeds. We talked about compassion, of the religious obligation to think of others, to insure that everyone had a decent livelihood and civil rights. At the time I never would have imagined that Israelis could be seen by some as occupiers or oppressors.

For a long long time I have felt that I needed to do whatever I could as a Jew in the US to support the peace process. Participating in dialogue has been a powerful experience for me, and I initiated this documentary project as a way of sharing this process with a larger audience.

One thing that has become increasingly clear to me is the tremendous fear and distrust of the gentile world in the Jewish community. While I find myself and others explaining that fear to Palestinians, as you will see in these conversations, I think that it is important not to fall back on this as an excuse. Like many of the Jews in the group, my family came from eastern Europe. My parents were the first generation born in the country. I was fortunate to meet many of my cousins who survived the war and lived in Soviet Union, as is described in the piece, Russian Lessons. I heard stories of the many who perished in the holocaust and as well as the few who survived. But it is important for healing to occur within the Jewish community, to see ourselves as more than helpless victims of the pograms, Hitler, Stalin the Palestinians or whomever.

My own path has also lead to Buddhist meditation practice. Meditation has been an invaluable tool for learning to work with my own mind, learning to sit with my own pain, and learning to be able to extend myself to also take in the pain and suffering others. This process of learning to quiet the mind, to be able to listen, to feel empathy and compassion is what dialogue is all about. When we say, "never again," it must mean to all human suffering and indignity, not just to Jewish suffering. It is in that spirit that I dedicate this work.